


When you least expect

by FanFicReader01



Series: Peculiar encounters of a taxi driver [28]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Difficult Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Sappy, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-10 03:25:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19490965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicReader01/pseuds/FanFicReader01
Summary: When Hob least expects it, he find Grace. In a crowd of hundreds at that.They reconcile, sort of.OrThe writer needs a sappy, happier ending for the disaster gay (who isn't that gay at all) and his now ex-girlfriend.:')





	When you least expect

**Author's Note:**

> This fic took me longer than expected to write. Started it somewhere in May I guess. Then left it be for a long time, tried to continue didn't, but now I finally got some time and most importantly, the motivation to conintue and finish it :D

I’m kind of aimlessly roaming the streets. I already forgot what I came to do here. Maybe nothing. Just wander around, emptying my head. Though my car business is going well as usual, something still is missing. Heck, Karlus is back in my life somehow. Nobody will ever understand how that happened.

Thinking of him, makes me remember another person who was- _is_ still dear to me: Grace.

She is out of my life now, though. She is probably married but I cannot remember a ring the last time I saw her. Anyway, I think her husband provides her with the love she deserves. She must be better off with him and-

I stand still.

Where am I again? Ah yes, in the crowded city. I look around me and see all these people. Elderly and the youth. One collision of old and new. Chattering, phones, traffic noises. My head begins spinning. Round and round and-

“ _Hob_ ,” a voice too familiar snaps me out of my chaos. I blink my eyes a few times and then I see the person who is clutching my wrist.

_Grace._

She is alone. There’s the usual, cute blush on her face and maybe I fell in love with her all over. Shit.

“Is everything alright? You look a bit dizzy,” Grace frowns.

I shake my head and try to play it cool. But my legs don’t support me and I almost collapse, had it not been for my gi- _ex_ -girlfriend’s quick reflexes. She leads me to an unoccupied bench and sits me down.

“I-, I was just, eh, you know… walking through the city.”

“Usually you’re not a fan of big crowds,” Grace points out. I sheepishly laugh at her. “Are you alright?”

“I’m not really. Well, I like to think I am,” I mutter.

She holds my hand and squeezes it, making me look her in the eyes. “What’s on your mind?”

“You,” I whisper.

“Still can’t let go off me, huh,” she chuckles and I wonder if I noticed some kind of disappointment in her voice.

“We didn’t part on good terms last time we met.”

Grace sighs and nods. “Maybe. What is it that you want, Hob?” It’s a question she’s asked me many times in college. Sometimes easier to answer than other times.

“I try to get over you. Still. I’ve got Karlus now.”

“Him? Didn’t he hurt you? And-” a hesitant hand hovers close to my glass eye.

“Yeah, he did,” I brush away her hand. “It’s complicated. Like we’ve always been I guess.” I manage to choke out some laughter. Then I continue. “Things seem to go better now. But I also keep thinking of you. I’m sorry. I hope you’re happy though.”

“I’m very happy. My partner is sweet and beautiful. We have a great relationship.” She turns silent for a while. Then she looks me in the eyes again. I try to ignore it, but she has me fixed on her. “After we saw each other last time, you looked so sad, it hurt. You know, I still want us to be friends, you know? Even if we may not see each other that much anymore. I just don’t want to part on bad terms.”

She put it in words perfectly. It’s what I wanted too.

“Same,” is all I manage to get out of my throat. Then Grace puts my hands on hers. A weak smile. “You know…, I haven’t told much about my relationship yet and-”

“You don’t have to,” I cut her short. Her eyes widen. Fuck, should I not have done that?

“You get jealous?”

“Maybe,” I blurt out.

“That’s alright, Hob. I won’t look down on you for that. But what I wanted to say is… well, I have a quite open relationship with my partner.”

Now she’s the one to turn away her gaze first. She lets her fingers play and curl into her hair. I gulp. An open relationship, huh. As if Grace can read my questions, she explains it properly.

“That means I’m free to be with other men… or with women. Sleep with them, if I wish so. Same goes for my partner.”

A part of me isn’t surprised. Grace had always been very open about her sexuality and related needs. Suddenly I feel guilty. Should I’ve give her more freedom in our past relationship? A single touch on my shoulder, pulls me out of my increasing doubts and regrets.

“Hey, it’s alright. We were good back then. Our relation was great. You shouldn’t have any regrets on that.”

I lightly smile. Okay. Good, very good. I take a few unsteady breaths before I ask her: “So what does that have to do with me?”

To that, Grace has no answer. At least not immediately.

“A-as I said before, I want us to stay friends. Because I still like your personality, your being, Hob.” Slowly I process what’s being said. “ _Do you still_ love _me?”_

I’m surprised to see Grace in tears first. “I-, I honestly don’t know. I wish I could say yes. A-and this relation with my current partner kind of allows me to and-, but…”

“I see,” I whisper. I pull her closer to me. An uncertain hug. She doesn’t have to explain to me.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t.”

“But-”

“It’s me. I couldn’t make up my mind when it mattered. I didn’t dare taking risks,” I mutter. The blame is on me.

“I was the same,” Grace chuckles and wipes away some tears. She straightens herself and with honest eyes she confesses: “Turns out I wasn’t ready for kids either. I’m still not ready.”

For a second, I feel terrible. Maybe I even feel a bit betrayed but that’s just stupid to think. We were both young and inexperienced. Maybe we still are. We’re just a bit older.

“It’s alright,” I say.

“It’s funny, though. You, with kids now. Me wanting them back in the day and finding out I don’t want to anymore.”

“That’s life for you. Welcome to the world of the adults,” I joke. That makes her wholeheartedly laugh.

Then we remain quiet for about fifteen minutes. We let others pass by and try to just live in the moment. A quiet moment in the roaring city.

After a while, Grace speaks up. “So… what are we going to do now?”

“I-, you could come over to dinner. I’m not the greatest chef but you know that already.”

My ex laughs and nods. “Good idea.”

While we’re in my car, driving to my blue house, Grace stares out of the window. She looks as beautiful as the day we met in college. To be honest, she looks even more gorgeous. Can’t say the same about me.

“I-, this is a risky question, but if you’d still like to.. you know, maybe spend a night or two with me, you can always ask me.”

I’m glad we’ve come at stop by the red light. I give her a flustered look. “I-, I don’t think that could work out. I mean-, if we still want to be friends. Just friends.”

“Okay. That’s fine too.”

I cough and quickly focus on the road again. The light turns green. “B-because I think it’s a really great plan to stay friends. I think I can do it. J-just, getting into sexual stuff w-would complicate it. For me at least! I don’t want to incite more old emotions.”

Grace giggles. “You always remain vanilla, don’t you.”

“Hey, just because that doesn’t mean I-”

“It’s alright, Hob. I was just teasing.”

“Of course you do. But _secretly_.”

“Maybe.” That mischievous little smirk of Grace. I love it.

“This almost feels like the old days.”

“It sure does. But we’ve changed. _Improved._ ”

“Really?” I point at my glass eye and Grace pokes me. Soft enough to not mess with my driving.

“Just keep your eyes-, excuse me, _eye_ on the road, handsome.”

That makes me smile. Finally I think I can see a future with Grace in the picture. One that isn’t overshadowed by sadness and my lame man angst. Nah, time to grow up and move on! And guess what, I can even do that if Grace is still my friend.

**Author's Note:**

> This happened somewhere between the original ST events and The Adventures of Pjotr & Sol;  
> Yes, I wanted them to have a rebuild friendship/relationship becos I, myself the writer, didn't like the pure angst of that one drabble about Hob's sed dating life lmao xD


End file.
